


Love Bites (So Do I)

by Hariq



Category: Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Biting, Cuddling & Snuggling, Established Relationship, F/F, Fluff, Healthy Relationships, Neurodiversity, Protective Siblings, Sweet, Trans Character, Trans Female Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-19
Updated: 2020-05-19
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:13:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,903
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24261880
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hariq/pseuds/Hariq
Summary: Marnie has a habit of biting things. Is it a problem?
Relationships: Mary | Marnie & Yuuri | Gloria, Mary | Marnie/Yuuri | Gloria
Comments: 4
Kudos: 131





	Love Bites (So Do I)

**Author's Note:**

> This isn't my usual type of story, but I've had the idea in my head for a long time and really wanted to get it out there.

“Ouch!”

Gloria pulls away from the kiss and starts rubbing her lower lip. “You bit me again.” This was getting to be a common occurrence with Marnie. It wouldn’t happen whenever they kissed, but most times when the make out session started to get pretty heated, she’d suddenly bite her girlfriend’s lip.

“I know.” Marnie brings her hands to her chin, the sleeves of her jacket covering them.

“Why do you keep doing that?” Gloria loves her girlfriend but she can’t hide the exasperation in her voice.

“Cause I wanna.”

It’s really hard to stay annoyed at her. Instead Gloria just sighs and gives Marnie a peck on the cheek. “Okay fine, I have to head out anyways. There’s supposed to be a rare Pokemon appearing in the wild area tomorrow and I want to get there early.” As the trainer starts to leave she feels a tug.

Marnie clutches the other girl’s sleeve, staring down at the floor. “Sorry,” she mutters.

Smiling and leaning in, Gloria strokes her girlfriend’s hair and kisses her forehead. “It’s alright, honest. Get some rest. We’re gonna battle when I get back tomorrow, loser buys lunch.” She waves goodbye. “Love you!”

Marnie’s gaze stays on the floor but she returns the wave. “Love you too.” After Gloria leaves, she pulls her legs up to the couch, closing her arms around it and tucking her hands into the opposite sleeves. The jacket always comforted her, like getting a big hug but without having to ask someone else for it. She wonders if her girlfriend is really okay with things.

Marnie didn’t mean to bite, but she never could help herself. Whether it was her nails, her hair, or any random thing she had in her hand. She remembered Piers laughing at her once because of it when she was a kid. She’d been sitting watching him and Obstagoon practice. Picking up what she thought was a Joltik toy, she started to chew on its leg. Only, it wasn’t a toy. After the Pokemon had scampered off and he made sure she wasn’t shocked too badly, Piers cracked up and only stopped telling the story to people after she asked.

Right! Then she’ll work to stop this from being a problem. Jumping from the couch, Marnie pats her cheeks and sets out on her new adventure.

* * *

Things have not been going well. Marnie figured she would start small by finding a way to keep from chewing her nails. She hated how they’d be short and uneven and it ruined her nail polish. She orders a bottle online made from Oddish powder. It wasn’t toxic but was supposed to be applied over dry nails to make them taste horrible. Instead of keeping her from chewing on them though, Marnie now has short nails and a foul taste in her mouth.

She got some plastic nails next. Not only would they keep her from biting the actual nails, but they were long and black, perfect for her look! It would have been the ideal solution if she didn’t chew through them on the very first day. Oh, and now she was chewing the adhesive residue off her nails as well, so that’s nice.

* * *

“Hey uh, boss. This kid’s saying he wants a different badge. Want I should get rid of him?” The Team Yell member serving as her gym receptionist looked genuinely ready to pick a fight, but Marnie quickly stepped in to stop her.

“You don’t need to call me boss.” She knows better than to have this conversation again though. “No, it’s fine. We should hear him out. Why do you want a new badge?” She stood in front of the trainer, still in her gym uniform. The league was pretty lax with what leaders wore. As long as their uniform had their number and the gym on it, they had a lot of free reign. For Marnie, that meant getting to keep her jacket.

The trainer seems almost embarrassed. “Hi, thanks again for the match! I really thought I was going to lose.” He takes his badge out of the container to let the gym leader get a better look. “I didn’t want to say anything in front of the camera or crowds but um… there’s bite marks on it. I think a Pokemon might have gotten to it. There’s a lot of Skwovet and Zigzagoon around that would love to ch-”

Marnie cuts him off. “Right s’no problem. We’ll change it out right away.” She takes the badge and rushes to get him a new one. She thought she’d thrown that out. It was when she was doing orientation for the gym. Being stuck watching those videos for hours, she got distracted and grabbed one of the badges from the case without thinking. Finding a new one that’s definitely good, she sees the trainer off.

“It’s starting to get late. If anymore challengers show up tell them their matches will be tomorrow.” She watches as a few members of her fan club start writing down notes or volunteering to be security in case anyone needs roughing up. “No battling them, just send em to the hotel and tell em we’ll open first thing. Be nice.”

“You got it, Marnie!” They all yell out in unison.

She sighs. They really had gotten better, but were still overzealous. Even at their worst during her league challenge, she wasn’t able to really get too angry at them. Team yell showered her in love and support when she realized she was a girl, and were always eager to beat up anyone who might bully her. Luckily it never came to that but their energy never left. “Okay then, I’m off. See ‘all tomorrow.”

The receptionist taps her shoulder, getting Marnie’s attention. “Hey boss, you okay? If there’s a problem with Pokemon getting into the badge case or something I can take care of it.”

She quickly shakes her head. “No, it’s fine. It wasn’t a Pokemon. I’m handling the problem already, so don’t worry about it, oh, and don’t call me boss!” She hurries to leave before her fans ask anymore questions. Back at her place, Marnie takes up her usual position on the couch, wrapping herself up in her jacket.

Rotom phone buzzes with a message from Gloria, asking if she wanted to have dinner tonight. Marnie taps out a quick reply that she’s tired and has more battles tomorrow, so she’d be calling it an early night. Gym league season always took a lot out of the trainer, and her girlfriend understood. They’d have plenty of time alone after she beats whoever won the league, after all.

Marnie begins chewing the inside of her mouth. Could she get in trouble for the badge thing? They are supposed to keep gym quality up. Her brother’s run as gym leader hadn’t endeared them to the league board but they’d been lenient so far. Still, this is something she can stop, so she will. She just needs to work at it even harder than before.

* * *

These books had not helped matters. Most of them were about how to deal with teething toddlers or misbehaving Pokemon. Marnie doubted some cream on her gums or rewarding herself with berries would actually work. Well it did change one thing! Now she had a pile of books with bite marks on their spine. “Ugh, how do you deal with this?” She looks down at Morpeko who’s happily tapping on a picture showing one of its own chewing on a berry.

The rodent’s fur suddenly turns black in color and it growls angrily. Not worried about this, Marnie scratches her Pokemon’s belly. “Here you go.” The moment Morpeko bites into the berry, it turns back and cheerily munches down on the food. “I’m glad I could help.”

If only her problems were that easy to solve. No one else seemed to struggle this much with something as simple as not putting things in their mouth. Marnie has done so much already. Coming out, taking on the gym league, come in second out of everyone in the region, confessed her feelings to Gloria, and taken over as the leader of Spikemuth’s gym. “If I can do all that, then this’ll be a piece of cake!” She shouldn’t have said that out loud. She rushes to the fridge, getting a slice for Morpeko before it gets too hangry.

* * *

Piers is checking through his suitcase to make sure everything is packed. “Oh, I know what I need!” He heads to the family room. “Sunscreen, there’s no way Raihan or Leon are going to pack enough. Those two guys never realize that not everyone has their perfect skin. Some of us might as well be Toxicroak.” He starts looking through the cupboards. “Hey Marnie, do you know if we have any left?”

He heads to the couch, freezing up when he sees his sister. She’s curled up in a ball, arms around her legs and face buried in her knees. Piers can even hear her softly sobbing. All of that would be bad enough, but what’s really distressing is her jacket. Instead of wearing it, she’s clutching the sleeve and letting the rest drape down to the floor. “What’s wrong?” He wastes no time rushing to his sister’s side. “You can just show me if you want.”

Without saying a word, Marnie holds the jacket up. At a glance, it’s hard to tell anything’s wrong, but when he looks closer, Piers sees bite marks on the sleeve and collar, causing the material to break and start falling apart. Even some of the metal studs on the sleeves are showing scratches that he can guess were probably made by her teeth. “It’s okay. No big deal. This happens to plenty of your clothes. Plenty of your shirts have holes in them.” This doesn’t seem to help as Marnie’s crying gets louder.

“Was special..” She finally mutters out. Piers didn’t have to ask. He’d gotten her the jacket as a gift after she came out to him. He wanted her to know how proud he was to be her big brother. Of course he was glad she loved it, but he hadn’t expected it to become something so comforting for her.

He pulls his sister into a hug. “It’s okay. I know you didn’t do it on purpose. I have a friend who works with leather. They’ll fix it up and get it back to us in a day or two. No problem.” This seems to help calm Marnie down at least enough to stop the crying but she’s still upset.

“I’ve been trying to stop but I can’t. I messed up my nails and my hair, I chewed a badge, I kept biting Gloria.” Piers stops himself from mentioning the Joltik, figuring that even as a joke it wouldn’t help the situation. “Nothing I do works. I just keep doing it.”

He’s silent for a minute, letting her settle a bit more. When Marnie sits up and wipes away the tears, her brother finally speaks. “I’ll get this to my friend, okay? Why don’t you get some sleep?” She nods and heads to her room. Morpeko pops out from the kitchen, scurrying at her heels and hopping onto the bed. Cuddling up with her friend, she lets Piers pull her cover up for her before closing her eyes. Her brother takes the jacket and grabs his phone, making some calls on the way.

* * *

Marnie’s jacket is returned to her good as new. She made her brother promise he didn’t just buy a new one before she was satisfied. The two are sitting on the couch, enjoying a movie night before his trip to Alola. Knocking at the door puts a pause on that plan. “I’m going to guess it’s Leon forgetting how to get to Raihan’s place again. Please don’t let him lead the way on the trip.” She’s already getting up when the knock is repeated louder and faster, becoming a cacophony of slams on the door. Ah, never mind then, it’s her fans. What could they want at this hour?

She barely turns the knob before the door flies open and a bunch of Team Yell members swarm inside. “Wh-”

The fans start doing what they do best. “HEY BOSS, WE HEARD YOU WERE HAVING TROUBLE AND CAME TO HELP!” Marnie covers her ears, thankful she has the jacket back to help cancel out the noise.

“Guys, guys, we talked about this, remember? Save it for the shows.” Piers has gotten off the couch to stand next to his sister. The Yell members apologize, speaking at a more acceptable volume now.

“Hey there, Marnie!” The gym leader perks up at the sound of her girlfriend’s voice. She looks up and gasps when she sees Gloria standing in front of her. The champion has swapped out her normal attire, dressing up in the Team Yell uniform. Only her hair and hat remain unchanged. “Sorry, I would have fixed this up too but we didn’t have a lot of time.”

Marnie shakes her head. “S’okay, you always look great, but why are you here?”

Gloria smiles and nods at Piers. “Your brother told us about your hard work, and how it wasn’t going the way you wanted. I figured you could use some support from your number one fan!” She folds her hands behind her back and smiles.

“Yeah, that’s why I’m here!”

“No way, she meant me! I’m Marnie’s Number 1 Fan!”

“WHAT?! NO WAY YOU DON’T EVEN KNOW HER FAVORITE ALBUM SHE MEANT ME”

Piers holds up a hand, getting them all to quiet down. “I mean obviously she meant me,” he mutters under his breath.

“Thanks but…” Marnie looks around. She would be embarrassed that her brother told them, but honestly, she’s relieved. She knows everyone here and they all constantly tell her how much they love her. She wished she’d gone to them herself but couldn’t take that step. “I don’t know what you can do to help. I just keep biting things I shouldn’t. I don’t want to ruin em.” Everyone starts taking turns, handing Marnie different gifts and suggestions.

“Here, they’re pins shaped like Bounsweet! They even taste nice! They’re made for chewing!”

“If anyone has a problem with it, just bite em! You can win, Marnie!”

“Have you tried keeping some gum on you! Minty fresh breath whenever you want to bite something!”

“Are you saying Marnie’s breath stinks?!”

“WHO SAID MARNIE’S BREATH STINKS?!”

“SHE DID! GET EM!”

Piers holds his hand up and they all quiet down again. Marnie doesn’t seem to mind though, looking happy. She isn’t sure if any of this would actually work but she appreciates the effort. “Okay everyone, say good night will ya? I have to leave early tomorrow and I think Marnie can use the break.”

Team Yell were clearly hoping for a full blown party but that wasn’t going to happen. Instead, they all get ready to shout in unison. Marnie is prepared this time, already covering her ears. “Good night, boss. Sleep well.”

“Huh?” She moves her hands in surprise and watches them leave. “Good… night? Oh, and don’t call me boss!” Gloria is following the team when Marnie grabs her sleeve. “Stay?” Her girlfriend smiles, turning and heading to the couch instead.

“We’ll do movie night when I get back. I’m gonna go to bed. Don’t stay up too late, okay?” Piers waves to them from his room before closing his door to give them some privacy.

“Thanks for being here tonight.” Marnie lets out a content sigh when Gloria snuggles up with her.

“Of course, I just wish you’d said this was bothering you sooner. It’s okay if you bite sometimes. It’s worth it if it means I get to kiss you.” They both giggle. There’s a sense of tension that has been building up starting to fade.

“I didn’t know what to say. Honestly, biting things doesn’t bother me. When I feel stressed or uncomfortable, having something to chew on helps a lot. Always has. I don’t know if that’s ever going to change. Thinking about trying to stop makes me tense, which makes me chew something, and that calms me but I start back at the beginning.” She catches herself about to start chewing on her nails again.

Gloria thinks it over. “Well if it calms you, and isn’t hurting anyone then that’s fine, right? The worst that happens is my lip hurting a bit sometimes. With the badge and jacket, you just want to have something else to bite?” Marnie nods. “Perfect, then we’ll look. I’m sure there’s plenty of cool things you can keep around to help, and you know, you always have Team Yell, your brother, and me, so please just ask.”

The girls smile at one another. “Thanks.”

“Of course, I love you. We all do!”

“Love you too.” Marnie leans into a kiss. “Is this the part where I call you my champion?” They share another laugh.

“No, but it is the part where you promise to ask if you need my help.” Marnie gives an enthusiastic nod. “Then after that is the part where you kiss me again.” She’s more than happy to comply, leaning forward and meeting her lips. They sink comfortably on the couch, happy in each other’s arms and cherishing the kiss...

“Ouch!”


End file.
